Sunday, June 29, 2014

Masque of the Red Death Backgrounds for D&D 5E

Backgrounds for Masque of the Red Death in DnD 5E

Physician

Skills: Medicine, Perception
Tools: Physician's Bag
Languages: Latin
Trait - Medical Professional: You have access to a hospital's medical procedures and can supply patients with medicines.


Occultist

Skills: Arcana, Investigation
Tools: Scrolls
Languages: Infernal
Trait - Occult Library: You have access to a large library of book on the occult and may even have access to ritual magic.


Stage Magician

Skills: Acrobatics, Performance, Sleight of Hand
Tools: Lock picks
Trait - Celebrity: You are well know as a stage performer and a comfortable in the spotlight and at ease using your celebrity to gain special treatment.


Consulting Detective

Skills: Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion
Trait - Contacts: You have access to a group of dedicated contacts who can help you find information and who you trust.


Big Game Hunter

Skills: Nature, Survival, Stealth
Languages: Zulu
Trait - Club Member: You have our member of a gentleman's social club who's membership is diverse and can help you with their experiences.


Scientist

Skills: Animal Handling, Nature, Perception
Tools: Chemicals, Microscope
Trait - Laboratory: You have access to a well stocked laboratory to aid in your endeavors.


Medium

Skills: Arcana, Deception, Insight
Tools: Crystal ball, tarot cards
Trait - From Beyond the Grave: Your talents let you, via ceremony, gain knowledge from the spirit world.


Calvary Man

Skills: Animal Handling, Survival
Tools: Horse
Languages: 1 Native American language
Trait - Military Rank: You are an office in the military and have access to pertinent intelligence and tactical support.


Journalist

Skills: Deception, Insight, Performance
Tools: Typewriter
Trait - Fourth Estate: Your newspaper allows you access to many unusual places and easy research for your stories.


Mariner

Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, Perception
Tools: Ship
Trait - Pubcrawler: You are accustomed to carousing and mingling with bar patrons throughout the world.


Dandy

Skills: Perception, Persuasion, and any two other skills.
Trait - Servant: You have a loyal butler who accompanies you everywhere.


Explorer

Skills: History, Perception, Survival
Tools: Trap spring
Trait - Well-Travelled: You have travelled the world and have met a wide number of people and had unusual experiences.

Actor

Skills: Deception, Performance, Persuasion
Tools: Disguise kit
Trait - Thespian: You are a trained actor and student of the human condition and have made numerous contacts through your performances and auditions.












Saturday, June 28, 2014

Cross Planes Drifter: Psyborg (Using D&D 5 in the Wyrmholes setting)

PSYBORG (Total Bionic Conversion of a Cybernetic Organism)Medium Humanoid, Chaotic                                                       

Armor Class 17

Hit Points 33 (6d10) 
Speed 60 ft.
Proficiency Bonus +2

   Str            Dex         Con           Int         Wis         Cha
24 (+7)     20 (+5)     20 (+5)     10 (+0)    14 (+2)     6 (-2)

Skills Athletics +9, Intimidation* +4, Investigation +2,
          Perception** +6  , Stealth +7
Tools Automobiles, Computers, Electronics, Radar, Radios
Armor All armor and shields
Weapons Simple, martial and omega
Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Slashing, Omega, Piercing,
                                    Radiant
Senses darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Binary, German, Punk
Level 4
Class Combat Psyborg

ACTIONS
Melee Attack—Wrist Blade +9 to hit (reach 10 ft.; one creature). 
Hit: 1d10+7 slashing damage.


Melee Attack—Adamantium Knuckles +9 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature).  Hit: 1d6+7) bludgeoning damage.


Ranged Attack—Blaster +7 to hit (range 100/400 ft.; one creature).  Hit: 2d6+5 radiant damage.


Ranged Attack—Omega Cannon +7 to hit (range 300/1200 ft;; one creature).  Hit: 4d8 omega damage.

*Negative Charisma Modifier becomes a Positive when using Intimidation
**Gains double Proficiency Bonus

Psyborgs are individuals who have their most of their entire body cyberneticaly and bionicly enhanced, using sponsored by various nations or corporations or warlords.  The only original parts left are the brain, spine, organs and lungs.



Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Wyrmholes - Opening Crawl

As 5E launches I've decided to right up some Campaign Seeds, which I may develop further.  

I'm not trying to recreate the wheel, merely plumb the depths of my imagination and share the results.

Wyrmholes has its roots in two sources:  Cross Planes, which was originally a setting for gonzo mixed genre weird adventures, think Sigil but more techno-fantasy and wild west (the name being a play on the hometown of Robert E. Howard)  and Rifts--a game I've loved since I learned of its existence.  I'm certain the 5E rules could easily mitigate many of it's problems.

Here is the opening crawl (with apologies to Mr. Howard) for Wyrmholes:

Know, O prince, that between the years when the wyrmholes consumed Columbia and its garish states, and the years of the rise of the Skulldrinkers of Vogel, there was an Age undreamed of, when night shrouded kingdoms lay spread across the world like hungry wolves beneath the stars - Qng, Ka'Vril, Manthrax, Black Summit, Zukov with it's demoniac lycanthopes and epitaphs of fell psalms, Tank City with its valor,  Mechaniopea that bordered on the ripe forests of Lume, Vex-Null with its gargoyle-laden monoliths, Norad whose dragon-line riders wore depleted uranium and phosphorous and orichalcum.  But the proudest kingdom of the world was Cross Planes, reining supreme in the haunted west.

The Sundering is finished or I'm ALL IN on D&D 5

I've just spent two months reading all six books of the Sundering storyline and I'm finally finished.

It was a mixed bag and I don't, generally, read gaming fiction.

The first two books are excellent, the third was so-so but I'll read Evans' next novel, the fourth (by Richard Lee Byers, a favorite author of mine) was okay, the fifth and sixth were mostly worth reading.

I will say that I am not a fan of Ed Greenwood's writing, but this latest book, especially the ending, made me decide to try out his next Forgotten Realms book.

Overall, I recommend them.  I was hoping for a few more answers, but this was a reset and it's done now.

Reading the book series and casually playing the Neverwinter MMO is just an example of how happy I am with DnD 5E and how much I want to participate in the brand.

I know that's not for everyone, but it's working for me.

As an aside, I'm surprised that more positive coverage hasn't occurred from the authors using gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual characters in the series.  While I haven't read a ton of DnD books, I found the presence of such characters well-handled and positive examples.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Big Trouble

My normal posting will be interrupted as a roll out a new Point of Sale System for our stores.

However, today Big Trouble in Little China #1 hit my store from Boom! Studios.  It's written by John Carpenter and Eric Powell (The Goon).

Check it out.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Cross Planes Drifter: Sapien League Skullface (For Labyrinth Lord) [UPDATED]


Sapien League Skullface


When the Wyrmholes, tears in the very fabric of the prime material planes, opened up and fractured civilization, some of humanity eventually found safety under the auspices of the Sapien League, a think tank that had locations in most of the major cities in the U.S.


Their board members had somehow been forewarned and had been preparing for the Wyrmholes for over a century, managing to not only proved shelter for the survivors, but also help them to fight back againts the monstrosities that poured forth from the planar breaches.

Sadly, as often is the case, many atrocities occur in the name of survival and the Skullfaces are prepared to mete out only one response to any D-Hole (dimensional being) they encounter, regardless of their intentions, death.

No. Enco.: 1-8 

Movement: 80'

Armor Class: 0 (19)

Hit Dice: 4

Attacks: 1 (Mass Driver)

Damage: 7

Special: +2 to hit; critical strike on a natural roll of 16-20

Save: F4

Morale: 13

Alignment: LE

X.P. Value: 300

Monster Monday: Ork City's Chupacabra for Shadowdark

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